tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20989881519582309362018-10-08T02:02:10.175-07:00RootandblossomLena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.comBlogger599125Rootandblossomhttps://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-32114622951712087562015-05-01T23:34:00.001-07:002015-05-02T05:46:23.072-07:00Brenik 6-8 Months
6 months
It's been awhile since giving an update about Brenik, part of that has been situational but a lot of it has been avoidance. A couple months ago the boys and I all came down with hand, foot, and mouth, it was pretty mild but nevertheless it caused quite the number of issues for me and Brenik. After Brenik's illness he had his 6 month wellness checkup and at that time we discovered <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/womgU442p2g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com3http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/05/brenik-6-8-months.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-76137757831426380862015-04-27T22:36:00.002-07:002015-04-27T22:36:42.875-07:00Etsy Love {{5}} I love that next week I get to say, "we fly home next week!" Well, our other home. We really live and breath the mentality that home is where we are because Japan has been just as much our home as Washington has since we've gotten married. We're starting to talk to Gabriel about our flight and how we're moving back to our other home. I think it's important to keep it in his mind that we have <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/FFu05XHj-js" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com2http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/etsy-love-5.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-51223196456784166482015-04-22T05:25:00.001-07:002015-04-22T15:56:39.095-07:009 Ways to Avoid Mommy Burnout
Feeling burned out, struggling with anxiety or flirting with depression are all very real and common issues of being a mom (or parent). I spoke candidly last winter about my surprising battle with postpartum depression. I wound up sinking even deeper the months to follow, the first couple months in Japan being some of the darkest moments of my life. Fortunately I eventually started to recover <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/6PgeRH5QYjc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/00708634349981949772noreply@blogger.com2http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/how-to-avoid-mommy-burnout.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-44958307318467765782015-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:002015-04-22T15:56:56.125-07:00Etsy Love {{4}}We're beginning to pack up the apartment more seriously this week, cannot believe it's that time! So much to look forward to in the next month which doesn't include the actual flight... Really digging the 'home' pillow right now, though I feel like we'd need 2; one for Washington and one for Japan! Hope you enjoy this week's picks!
OohLookItsARabbit: $70.00
FinchandCotter: $38.00+
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/cnzqHZPP5Nw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/00708634349981949772noreply@blogger.com2http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/etsy-love-4.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-37525357992601847952015-04-17T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-17T05:39:52.734-07:00Online Shopping: Fabric The following is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own, you are welcome to visit my disclosure page.
A question I get quite frequently is, "do you ever buy fabric online?" Yes, yes I do! Since I have access to such wonderful fabrics in Japan six months out of the year it doesn't happen often but when there is a specific fabric I'm looking for and can't find it in my current country, I'll<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/bOmiRaN0bJs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/00708634349981949772noreply@blogger.com4http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/online-shopping-fabric.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-91453329917016310512015-04-15T04:03:00.001-07:002015-04-15T04:10:12.257-07:00Banana Oatmeal Cookies {GF, DF, No Added Sugar}
We've been on so many baking adventures the last couple months; I now have more varieties of flours in my pantry than I even knew existed! After surviving an elimination diet and adding foods back in, we discovered that dairy is the culprit of my 7month old's eczema- total bummer.
At first I tried to remake all my old recipes without dairy but that usually ended in a lot of disappointment <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/_fH5TIXeka8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com4http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/banana-oatmeal-cookies-gf-df-no-added.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-18340630863260389262015-04-12T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T20:58:49.205-07:00Etsy Love {{3}}
We're back to our normal days around here after an incredible week with a friend in town. We're down to the last month in Japan so I'm beginning to get more serious about packing and tossing. Here's to a stress free month leading up to a great move.
TheTwentyFingers: $10.00
claylicious: $38.00
MarisaBecca: $45.81
QuillandFox: $8.25
BezalelArtShop: $32.64
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/a5XW323sd6M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/etsy-love-3.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-46502465134708185562015-04-10T04:00:00.000-07:002015-04-10T04:00:04.534-07:00Kyoto: Nara Side Trip, Land of the Deer
When we were planning our Kyoto trip I suggested we visit Nara to see the deer. Chris was super skeptical about heading to Nara, not because of the deer but about traveling to Kyoto to not see Kyoto. After making my case that I thought heading to Nara would be a great addition to the trip for Gabriel we scheduled it in.
After visiting the land of a thousand tori gates we hopped on a train to<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/yhnf9RrnnBI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/kyoto-nara-side-trip-land-of-deer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-9385679125257025672015-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-08T05:00:04.748-07:00Essential Oil: Geranium
Geranium is serious competition for my previously mentioned favorite air purifying oil! The smell is delightfully uplifting and the hint of sweet is the perfect compliment to the beautiful spring weather we're starting to experience.
Besides using geranium to cleans the air, I've used it in homemade shea butter based hand cream to combat dry skin and wrinkles. Other common uses for geranium <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/pl-0bDmOIxw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/essential-oil-geranium.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-16634410530913200192015-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T20:59:29.333-07:00Etsy Love {{2}} He is risen! Happy Easter, for those in the States yours is beginning while mine is ending! A lovely friend of mine flew in this evening and we have a grand adventure of sightseeing Tokyo tomorrow, so it's off to bed for me. Enjoy the holiday!
depeapa: $22.00
moiraklime: $98.00
TatianasThreads: $35.00
littlelow: $20.00+
FriendlyToys: $28.00
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/9eRBMH80zpM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com6http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/etsy-love-2.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-75811309199000603962015-04-03T22:48:00.000-07:002015-04-03T22:48:00.244-07:00Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine
I have always been fascinated by the tori gates that are located at the entrance of shrines, my favorites located in Yoyogi Park. Fushimi Inari Shrine isn't know for just a couple tori gates but for thousands that line a network of trails leading up Mount Inari. Inari is the shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers so in addition to the thousands of tori gates, you also see<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/l-bBdymuEBk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/kyoto-fushimi-inari-shrine.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-33269868172856594172015-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-02T22:54:02.555-07:00Lemongrass Essential Oil
I added lemongrass to my collection of essential oils when I started having varicose pain (known to help promote circulation and is an anti-inflammatory oil). Rubbing diluted lemongrass on the backs of my thighs a few times a day helped to alleviate some of the aching, throbbing, and cramp-like pain that would some days leave me unable to be on my feet for long periods of time.
Historically <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/2brreFoBFxg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com4http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/04/lemongrass-essential-oil.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-7824749716480324302015-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T20:59:56.105-07:00Etsy Love {{1}} Do you use Etsy? If so, I'd love to follow you, let me know in the comments! Here on this week's favorites...
LucyDarlingPrints: $14.99+
applelatte: $9.80
thewheatfield: $18.00
icravejewels: $58.00
PrintableWisdom: $18.00
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/rfy9mt3-DIc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com8http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/03/etsy-love-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-57717301798244089512015-03-25T06:22:00.002-07:002015-03-27T06:21:09.658-07:00Kyoto: Kiyiomizudera Temple & Okonomiyaki
Can you believe up until this trip we have never taken a ride on a Shinkansen? You might be more familiar with the name bullet train, Japan's fastest traveling trains being able to hit speeds upwards of 200mph! They feel like a very roomy airplane on the inside and travel incredibly smooth. We tried taking a photo when our train pulled up and as it depart the platform but the thing is just too <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/8zFJX8CtsOg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/03/kyoto-kiyiomizudera-temple-okonomiyaki.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-16184594407816626272015-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:002015-03-25T05:56:31.601-07:00Purify Blend Essential Oil
One of the easiest ways to use essential oils is through diffusing! So many of them smell deliciously delightful but are intended for different purposes. An oil that we have only used aromatically (opposed to topically, should not be used internally) is the blend Purify. Just as its name alludes to, it's meant to clean the air. Yes, clean the air, not just mask odor in the air! Purify is a <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/N2LJtU3ma-8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com2http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/03/purify-blend-essential-oil.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-40312164543961704602015-03-19T05:53:00.001-07:002015-03-19T05:54:09.262-07:00Stuffed Rabbit Tutorial
Easter is just around the corner! With our oldest being only 2 years old we haven't done anything yet with the secular side of the holiday. This year we have talked about doing a little egg hunt for him in our unit but with Chris having to work that day, and a friend flying in, I think we might just stick to talking about Jesus, dying eggs and wearing bunny ears I bought at The Daiso (<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/Kc3fwi9Vwn4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com1http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/03/stuffed-rabbit-tutorial.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-90342074716239794822015-02-17T23:09:00.000-08:002015-02-17T23:09:47.480-08:00Two and a Half Years Young
Gabriel is a quiet and gentle spirit. He's an internal processor like his daddy and a heavy-duty observer before he's a participant. He wears his heart on his sleeve like his mama, is compassionate and caring but also stubborn like both his parents. His perfectionism can trigger mama's hot headedness so thank goodness he also carries Christopher's mellow demeanor. He enjoys calm activities <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/6J-KsK4sToI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com5http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/02/two-and-half-years-young.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-50373866179985281542015-02-10T02:20:00.002-08:002015-02-10T02:20:21.138-08:005 Months Old! (Brenik)
I'll cut to the chase, the highlight of this month (one of the most exciting moments of his life, let's be real) is that Brenik started sleeping straight through the night! Not an adult 8hrs kind of straight through the night but a textbook baby 12-13hr straight sleep! At the beginning of January he slept through the night and Chris and I didn't know what to do with ourselves, we didn't get <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/xEsQ0UK5ToI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com2http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/02/5-months-old-brenik.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-2510696114784032592015-02-07T04:34:00.000-08:002015-02-07T04:34:06.051-08:00Box Bottom Drawstring Bag Tutorial
What's a box bottom bag? One that sits up by its self! Drawstring bags can be a fun way to package a gift and when done yourself can be entirely customizable to shape, size, and height! Sometimes, the most appropriate gift bag (or most esthetically appealing) is one that can sit up on its own which requires a stable bottom (scroll drown to see picture). The following is a tutorial on how to <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/8UO2FAl78q0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com1http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/02/box-bottom-drawstring-bag-tutorial.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-76322239147521047422015-01-24T04:49:00.001-08:002015-01-24T04:49:33.789-08:00A Day with the Royals! Okay, I'll admit that was misleading. By royals I meant the Imperial family though I recently read that Prince William will be in Japan next month, maybe that will be a future blog post?
The Imperial family is most commonly compared to the royal family of England. The Emperor used to control the country like a president but is now a figurehead. Twice a year the Imperial family makes an appearing<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/NmiauvU3Mx4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com4http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/01/a-day-with-royals.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-22139072306013990132015-01-15T06:50:00.003-08:002015-01-15T06:50:33.102-08:00Two to Four Months
-two months-
When Gabriel was a baby and I heard that mamas could put their babies to bed awake and they'd actually fall asleep sweetly on their own, I thought it was all lies... It is actually possible! Like I've mentioned before, sleep was downright awful with Gabriel so we vowed to humble ourselves, seek out advice from parents we respected who had good sleepers, and read different books. <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/E6_T6EY8Nkc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/00708634349981949772noreply@blogger.com9http://www.rootandblossom.com/2015/01/two-to-four-months.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-91507877908446157392014-12-29T01:06:00.001-08:002014-12-29T20:07:04.701-08:00!!! CUPNOODLES MUSEUM
It's no secret that the Japanese love their noodles, what you might not know is that they seriously have a museum for everything. For four years now we've been aware of, and have walked by, the Cup of Noodle museum with little to know interest in visiting. Sure I enjoyed Cup of Noodles as a kid but a museum? Plus it always appeared to be very quiet and totally empty, aka boring. Nevertheless we <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/5JMsZFyiSnA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com10http://www.rootandblossom.com/2014/12/cupnoodles-museum.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-39002514328889736922014-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:002014-12-23T05:00:01.649-08:00Christmas In Japan
The beginning of December is a strange time to make a move. It's right after Thanksgiving but before the big Christmas push. Our house sitters kindly asked if they could have access to our christmas things and we did them one better by actually decorating before we left. Gabriel had a blast and since we weren't sure what decorating would look like in Japan we were glad we did it.
We decided <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/7KtqVUwdvSE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com0http://www.rootandblossom.com/2014/12/christmas-in-japan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-44647987109777229212014-12-21T20:46:00.002-08:002014-12-21T20:46:55.355-08:00Short Term Move to Japan Take IV
We have spent roughly 30 hours in flight between Japan and Washington State in 2014, which is broken down into 3 flights. In total, this was Christopher's 9th flight, my 7th, Gabriel's 5th and Brenik's first. That's a lot of travel on the same flight path.
History has shown that Gabriel is a gold medalist flier. In flights past I have always been incredibly nervous and concerned with how <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/WCKIJ6CIMuw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/14867505501004212149noreply@blogger.com3http://www.rootandblossom.com/2014/12/short-term-move-to-japan-take-iv.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098988151958230936.post-8671170209071336952014-11-28T08:37:00.001-08:002014-11-28T08:37:21.972-08:00Black Friday Etsy Shop Goodies Giveaway: a $175 value!Let's celebrate Black Friday by supporting Etsy Shop owners with a huge giveaway valued at $175! We truly have such a great group of ladies here that have made this giveaway possible! Please, grab a cup of coffee, meet these hardworking and creative shop owners, and check out what each adorable shop has to offer!
1. Amanda from Bangles &amp; Bauble is giving away two pairs of handmade <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Rootandblossom/~4/BnTD9Xqa6-I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Lena http://www.blogger.com/profile/00708634349981949772noreply@blogger.com1http://www.rootandblossom.com/2014/11/black-friday-etsy-shop-goodies-giveaway.html